How to date a superheroerrr heroes
by AmberBreath
Summary: Countdown soulmarks were the norms. You got them mostly at a young age,they would either be frozen at a certain amount of time or already counting down. The time represents how much time left you have before meeting your soulmate or in my case soulmates,who just ended up being superheroes. Or how Melody fix the mess that Civil War left of the Avengers
1. Countdown

Ever since I was a little girl,I've had three count downs on my right forearm . The count downs represented the time left before one met their soulmates. Three of them meant three soulmates. However only one seemed to progress while the other remained frozen. Hope grew over the years as the first one kept decreasing steadily.

I remember when i was 16, the break down i had when the first count down had turned Red. Red meant that the soulmate was in grave stayed that way for three months. For the duration of those three months,I would sometimes wake up,feeling a strange burn my chest,forcing me awake for hours.

After three tortuous months,the countdown turned green,the soulmate was safe,this time the time being cut in half. 1 month... I was to meet one of my soulmates in 1 month. I met him, a month later , served him coffee when i was working in a little cafe over in cali,where I wa staying over at a friends for the summer. He demanded that I should get my break and all but dragged me off.

Tony Stark had been born with two,frozen countdown on the inside of his left bicep. The third soulmate only appeared in the 90s but at the time ,he couldnt care less,he had been too busy partying and bedding men and women alike. He only took full conscience of that decreasing count down when he finally opened his eyes to the world,opened his eyes to all the chaos and destruction his weapons had lead to.

He could remember the day of their first meeting like it was yesterday. She had been 16 at the time, he couldnt harbor any other feelings other then friendship for her at the time. She became one of his most trustworthy friend , his rock,his confident. Granted, they didnt see each other that often,they would video chat often or he would go and visit her on a whim when he wasnt too busy. He had the chance to witness her slowly becoming a woman,a beautiful young woman.

He couldnt shake the look in her eyes when he invited her over to visit him after he almost killed himself via sending a nuclear nuke into a wormhole,in space. She had slapped him across the face as she cried her pretty eyes out and kissed him,which in her case was incredibly bold. She had never hinted that she had wanted more out of their soulbond,perhaps she thought she was too young or maybe not good enough for him. She was and so much more and he had felt like a piece of trash for making her cry like that. She then proceeded to stay glued to his side, his only company aside from Bruce. Everyone had left the tower to go to their own device,leaving only him,His sweet sweet Melody and Bruce.

After a night of romping in the sheets, the two of them noticed that the other two count downs had unfrozen. Her last two were now ticking at an average pace while Tony's third had started ticking. Tony's second had ended and showed Steve Rogers beside the 0s . Tony hadnt taken notice of that,it wasnt like Steve had said anything about it either. Perhaps the Capsicle didnt want anyone in the likes of Tony Stark as his soulmate. Even him wouldnt want himself as a soulmate.

He knew that he shouldnt have kept Melody with him when the Mandarin striked. He had her and Pepper,both pumped with the Extremis. He remembered how he could feel the burning in his veins, how she felt when her body tried to adapt itself. In the end,unlike Pepper, she decided to keep the Extremis. Even if he had disagreed at first, he felt more at ease since she had something to defend herself.

After the Mandarin however,even if she had the Extremis,he asked her to go to safety,not trusting himself with her life anymore. She cried,he had made her cry again. It tore his heart apart to see her like this but it was for the best.

There he was now,wounded, emotionally hurt by Steve's betrayal. He had known, he had fucking known that Barnes had killed his parents and didnt say a word. Tony had been pissed,raging even,he had seen red. Blows were exchanged.

The thing that stung the most was that his third count down had reached 0 and the name James Buchanan Barnes was written beside it. How come life was so cruel to him. Probably karma,he thought, after being a shitty person all his life, karma finally caught up to him.

He sat there,gently handling the phone Steve had left him along with his letter. His fingers itching to text him,call him, beg him to come back, to forgive him... but Tony's stupid pride got in the way.

Gentle,delicate hands came to rest on his shoulders. The familiar hands ran through his hair,manicured nails gently scraping along his scalp. He turned in surprise and was met with the beautiful sight that was his first soulmate. Her hair shorter, her face even more beautiful than it used to be. He finally felt the dam break as he folded into her, her protective arms wrapping around him instantly. He asked why she was so good to him, so patient; how she still loved him after all he did to her and to the people around him.

She didn't talk, her mere presence was enough. She wasnt always the one with words, but her actions often spoke volume of how she felt.

She kissed him softly, cupping his face, made him look into her eyes and he knew from this moment, things were going to get better.


	2. Let me be your hero baby

runk as a skunk was how Melody found Tony. He was mumbling to himself, a piece of clutched tightly in one hand and an old phone in the other. A bottle of scotch lay sideways beside his chair, completely empty. Melody frowned in sympathy as she approached. He had been doing well in his alcohol moderation but she guessed that the Civil War between his team had torn him apart in many ways. He didn't even hear her as she approached her feet silent against the lush carpeting of his personal floor of the tower. She laced her long, delicate fingers into his hair, mindful of any injuries. She knew how he liked it when she did that, massage his scalp, especially when he got migraines. As expected, he went lax underneath her touch. She gently tilted his head back so she could meet his eyes. He opened his eyes blearily and blinked a couple times. He looked at her for a long time, as if his overactive brain tried to decipher who she was. He jerked in his seat, stumbling as he struggled to stand. She took full account of his injuries as he stood infront of her.  
"They did one hell of a number on you didn't they" She whispered softly, feeling a deep ache in her chest. Melody knew that soulmates could feel each other's physical pain up to a certain level but that didn't explain why she felt like her heart had been ripped out, since that wasn't the case with Tony. His so called friends had hurt him and ditched him afterwards. Of course she knew that it wasn't just them that was at fault here, she wasn't blind to Tony's own mistakes, but still, she found it ridiculous how they let a piece of governmental paper break the friendship they had. It had been unique, she knew that much. They all fit together somehow, each their own troubled past and upbringings, but it was that single fact that brought them all together, like a big super family.

"Doddy?" He asked, his voice uncertain, using her nickname he had found for her. She'd never let anyone call her Doddy aside from him. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, as if to make sure she was there.  
"Yeah I'm here" He all but launched himself at her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him as he folded himself into her arms, his hands gripping the back of her sweater tightly. He rained whiskery kisses onto her face, making her giggle as his beard tickled her skin. "I'm here Babe" She cooed fondly, following him as he sank to his knees. He buried his face into her lap, his grip unrelenting on her hips as his body shook. Her jeans grew steadily wetter as his body shook with heart-breaking sobs. She held back her own tears, his pain feeling like it was hers. She regretted the fact that she listened to him when he told her to leave. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if she had been present at the time. She could only be with him now and this time even though he would tell her to leave, she won't. She had the Extremis now, yes it had been a big risk keeping it into her body because of its instability but she learned to work with it over the 2 years since she's had it. She didn't have full control of it just yet but with further practice, it could work be perfectly, granted that it didn't blow her up instead.

After his crying subsided, she took him to his, no their, room and helped him shower in the in suite bathroom. Good thing she had the Extremis since he was practically dead weight, barely stable on his own feet like a newborn colt. She cleaned him first, being mindful of his injuries. She tried to get him to respond but he kind of spaced out on her at some point but she didn't mind, she knew how he got sometimes. Lost in that big brain of his. She'd let him work out his issues on his own and if he needed her, she would be there.

She then proceeded to make him slip into a pair of silk pajamas that he liked so much. He finally blinked himself back to awareness when she went to leave to get some water and painkillers. He whimpered, clutching her hand. She cooed words of reassurance, promising to be back quickly. She quietly padded into the bathroom, her feet slapping onto the marble flooring. She grabbed a bottle of Tylenol and wandered back into the bedroom. She took a bottle of water from the mini fridge in the corner and set both Tylenol and water on the nightstand. She urged him to drink some water before going to sleep. Apparently he was way more parched then she intended since she to go retrieve another water bottle. She slipped right under the covers and was instantly pulled into Tony's embrace. The whiskery kisses started again making her smile again, doing her best to return them. Tony finally settled in laying his head on her chest, arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders; her nails gently trailing down his spine then back up soothingly. Her chest felt lighter, the solid weight of her soulmate on her chest helped with her anxiety. Finally, his breathing evened as he went lax against her. She pressed kiss to his forehead gently, tightening her hold on him briefly, her heart swelling in affection. Even if they both had a rocky start, with her being young and him being less tame then he was now, they learned to work with each other, to find a common ground. She had never thought that she would end up as a couple with Tony to be honest. She remembered back when she first met him, how she had developped a crush on the man,admiring his work and his good looks. Him being a sexy motherfucker didnt help her teenage hormones. Although over time, she saw more of who Tony was aside from the billionaire,playboy,philantropist. No, he was a deeply generous person with a big heart. He gave and gave to his teamates,upgrades, appartments,anything to make them happy. He made their happiness his priority at the cost of his own. She kept herself from shaking in anger, how they could do this to him after all her had done for them. She buried her nose into Tony's hair, inhaling his scent to keep herself she got too angry ,her skin tended to heat up and sometimes burn her clothes. She didnt need that right now. Eventually, sleep claimed her as well, all agitation and restlessness from being away from her soulmate now completely gone…


	3. The Winter Soldier's Guidebook

Melody woke up to FRIDAY chirping the time and the weather, much like JARVIS used to do. She opened the blinds just so, letting sunlight filter in, leaving slates of light on the wall. She nuzzled her nose into the crook of Tony's neck. She peppered kisses onto Tony's shoulder affectionately, making him mumbled drowsily, wiggling closer to her. She smiled into the silk of his pajama's. She left one last kiss to his shoulder before carefully scooting out of bed. She would let the engineer sleep, god knows he needed it, if the dark bags under his eyes were any indicator. She slipped out noiselessly, quietly closing the door behind her on her way out.

" FRIDAY, start the coffee please" She asked nicely. She had always felt the need to be polite to the AIs even though they weren't real persons.

"on it, girlfriend" came the amused voice of the female AI. A large grin broke out on Melody's face. She would so get FRIDAY to say 'that's hot' one day, Tony could count on it.

" I trained you well FRIDAY" Melody said pleased, puttering around the living room as she heard the coffee percolate in the kitchen. She picked and stacked files that had been left haphazardly on the floor. She found the old phone that Tony was holding when she arrived the night before. She also found a letter, the paper all wrinkled. She carefully smoothed it out with her hands and began to read, her eyes flying over the cursive lettering. A letter from Steve. Her eyes flew over the words. The captain saying that he was sorry did calm the anger she felt at him the night before. He admitted his faults. He didn't say his apologies in person, but at least this was something. However it didn't stop her from feeling sour towards the captain. Sour towards all of then actually.

She picked up the mess that Tony had made of the living room in his drunken stupor. She felt upset, it had been a long time since Tony had sworn off drinking, but she took a small comfort in the fact that he probably didn't drink the whole bottle, most of the content had been spilled on the carpet, staining the beige carpet to a questionable brown and reek of alcohol. She wrinkled her nose, making note to tell Friday to call the cleaner. She picked up the empty tumbler near the couch and caught a glimpse of red in the corner of her eye. She knelt down by the couch and peeked under the couch. She flattened herself onto the carpet and reached for the elusive book. She grunted, feeling the smooth cover brush against her fingertips just so, almost there. She let out a sound of triumph when she was able to grasp it between her index and middle finger. She pulled it out from underneath the couch and dusted it off, wiggling her nose, expecting it to start itching immediately. Her allergies with Extremis were kind of a come and go thing, sometimes her dust allergy hit and sometime it didn't or maybe it was just her. She didn't even know if it fixed allergies or not... The book was small, red and had a black start in the middle and seemed to be lacking a title. She hummed, carefully flipping it open, only to blink in confusion. All was written in Russian...

' The coffee is ready girlfriend' Friday chirped, getting another smile from Melody. She would speak of that book later with Tony...

Melody had been standing in front of the window with a hot cup of coffee in hand when Pepper came in, accompanied by Rhodey.  
" Oh thank god you're here, when Tony called last night I couldn't..." Pepper started but Melody held up a hand, stepping up to the woman to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She greeted Rhodey the same way, trying to not let her gaze linger on his bionic legs. How her heart had bled when she learned that he had taken a nasty drop that resulted in him becoming paraplegic.  
" It's fine, I know you have been busy and all and really , it was my pleasure" She reassured, inviting them into the kitchen.

Melody remembered when Pepper and Rhodey didn't trust her at first. Back when she first met Tony. Both of Tony's best friend's had shown veiled hostility towards her at first, despise her being Tony's soulmate. They at first thought she had gotten his name and the countdown tattooed, like so many shallow idiots had done in the past, trying to get a hold of the billionaire. But as soon as it was clear that her mark was genuine, they warmed up to her. Pepper was glad that she wasn't one of the only female in the tower and as for Rhodey, he treated her like a little sister, always looking out for her, and she also was his secret cuddle buddy.

' where is he?' Pepper asked as she took a seat at the lunch counter, a concerned frown on her brow. Rhodey heaved himself onto a seat with a grunt and let out a relieved sigh, a fine sheen of perspiration coating the skin of his forehead.

'he's sleeping' Melody answered,reaching for coffee mugs in the cupboard. A 'I heart War Machine' mug for Rhodey and Pepper's favorite rose mug.

'good he has been on an inventing binge ever since this blew over. He only takes some time off to come and help me with my physio. He's gonna drive himself into the ground if he keeps this up' Melody felt her heart clench painfully at the notion.

'Good thing that I'm back then' She said smiling sadly,handing over both mugs,now filled to the brim with coffee. She handed over the sugar and creamer, making them slide along the counter carefully. Last time she did that, she hadn't taken into account her new found strength and both objects went sailing across the room and shattered a window.

' Amen to that' Rhodey said, raising his mug in a toast gesture before sipping his coffee,smiling proudly when he took note of what was written on the mug.

' you guys hungry? I made peach and cream muffiiins' She practically sang, jumping on the occasion to change the subject, since it clearly made all of them miserable. Pepper made grabby hands at the basket full of muffins, who were still warm from coming out of the oven not even 15 minutes ago. Melody handed over a muffin to the over eager CEO who all bit wolfed it down.

'maybe it's a bad thing after all, your gonna make fat and i won't fit in War Machine anymore' Rhodey complained with a wink and Melody smiled good-naturedly. Melody took a muffin for herself, carefully peeling away the wrapper before taking a bite. They made pleasant conversation ,catching up on what they had missed or more like, what Melody had missed. They were interrupted by Tony walking in the kitchen, grunting like a zombie. Melody smiled as she poured him a cup of coffee and set it onto the counter ,keeping in mind that her boyfriend didn't like to be handed things. She shielded the cup with her body when he made grabby hands at it.

'hahaha whats the payment for that' She said and Tony grumbled in confusion. Melody rolled her eyes good-naturedly and taped her cheek with the index of her free hand. Tony pressed a whiskery kiss to her cheek , an arm lazily draping itself around her waist. Rhodey could be heard making gagging noises in the back while Pepper giggled, the distinct click of a camera sounding. She relented the mug and the engineer made a happy noise and proceeded to down half of the content before refilling the mug. After two whole cups, Tony seemed brighter around the eyes, finally able to formulate proper words to greet his two best friends

. "Soooo whats up?' Totally avoiding the subject as expected. The concerned party decided to let it drop, not wanting to cause Tony more distress.

" I have the files for the negotiations and we have a meeting with the lawyers m in two hours' Pepper said professionally , reaching for her case at her feet. She took out a manila folder and slid it across the counter to Tony. Tony made a displeased hum as his face dropped. He grabbed the folder, opening it and carefully thumbed through the various documents Melody knew how much meetings were a bore for him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, trying to understand all that legal talk but she just ended up with a headache.

'Might as well get this over with' the engineer said, seeming defeated,exhausted even. There it was again, the painful pulling of her heartstrings. He was far more affected then he let on. Melody watched him get ready in silence ,his moves mechanical, his gestures lacking their usual energy. Her and Rhodey went to see them off. Tony gave her a long but delicate kiss before parting , slipping his rose tinted glasses onto his face. Normally Tony would of sent her texts and silly selfies throughout the day, as he usually did since these meetings were so boring. His lack of text showed how important this was and how invested he was in the case. So Melody kept her own end quiet not wanting to disturb him.

She took the time to unpack, her luggage not having left the spot Happy had set them in since the day before. She then went to her floor. She barely used her floor actually. She did back when they weren't together yet. When they got together, she moved most her clothes and necessities to the penthouse while the rest stayed there. She often used it when she felt like being in her own space, like Tony did with the lab. It always felt like a second home, decorated in a homey fashion with warm shades of brown and red. She actually missed her room there however, liking the lovely teal and white of her walls, with just a touch of pink. Her floor mostly consisted of housing her projects most of the time. By projects she meant like when she felt like writing, she had made herself a little nest in front of the wall-window, the astounding view of the city's skyline never failing to inspire her.

She also had a spot to make her DIY projects when she felt especially creative. She must of been deep in her writing since Friday had to call her name a few time for her to actually snap out of it. She blinked back to awareness.

'Miss Stallone' The AI called again, sounding a bit miffed.

'Yes I'm sorry Friday, what is it?' Melody asked, closing and setting her notebook aside,tucking the pen between the pages.

'Colonel Rhodes is about to undergo his physiotherapy of the day and it is mandatory for someone to assist him' Right Rhodey was too proud to let anyone help him, even if he was in a pickle. ' Sir normally attends but he told me you could go in his stead while he is gone' informed Friday.

Melody stood, stretching with a loud yawn, her back popping pleasantly.

'alright tell him ill be there in 10, I'm gonna change and gather my yoga stuff' Melody said as she sashayed her way over to her room, where her yoga apparel was stored in the bedrooms closet. She opened the door and inhaled the scent of her sea breeze potpourri that always seemed to linger in the place, fitting her beach like room decorations. Teal walls with white dresser, comforter and desk. All decorated with several starfish and seashells, which she had collected herself on a beach near the Malibu house.

She walked over to her walk in closet. She opened the door and slipped inside, flipping on the switch beside the door. The room lit up, several sparkly dresses glittering as they caught the light, making everything seem like a dream. Tony had never failed to make her feel like a princess, showering her with presents and flowers. So much that sometimes she felt bad and honestly didnt know what to do with these expensive gifts. She had been born and raised in a modest family of four.

Her, her mom, her dad and her big sister. Her parents worked hard to get where they were today, a nice house, two cars, a pool and an RV for camping. Not that Tony didn't work hard, he took his fathers company and made it do a complete 180, changing SI for the better, for a better future. Stopped weapon manufacturing and focused his attention on tech and clean energy, which she found truly marvelous and knew that the whole planet would be grateful for it eventually.

She grabbed her yoga mat and found her Adidas sport shorts and matching sport bra and draped them over her arm. She grabbed her sneakers with one hand while tucking the mat under her arm. She slipped out of the closet and left the door open since she had her hands full. She set the garments on the bed and slipped out of her pajama, which really was a pair of Tony's boxer brief-which were a bit tight- and one of his Black Sabbath band shirt. She slipped on her work out ensemble, not bothering with getting panties from the penthouse. She then sat on the bed to slip on her shoes, her feet slipping their comfy goodness. She stood and grabbed her mat, tucking it beneath her arm and went to her kitchen to get a water bottle. She took her favorite Ninja Turtle's water bottle from the cupboards and opened the faucet, touching the water, finally holding the bottle under the stream after she deemed it cool enough. She turned the faucet off, capping the water bottle and screwing the lid in place. She grabbed her Stark-phone from the counter and slipped it into her bra- what? it's not like these tight fucking shorts had pockets- and made her way to the elevator, guzzling from the childish straw that stuck out of the water bottle.

Granted, she had taken that bottle in the child section at Wal-Mart, she just couldn't help herself. She entered the elevator when the doors parted, the door closing as she leaned back against the back wall.

' Gym Floor Fry' Melody said, propping the mat upright between her feet as she let the water bottle dangle from her wrist by the small strap that was around the neck of the bottle.

'Yes Miss St-' The AI caught herself ' Yes Doddy' She corrected, sounding somehow sheepish.

Melody held onto the railing as the elevator began it's descent, inhaling sharply, never liking the sensation of her stomach dropping whenever the elevator descended.

' Gym floor' Friday announced and Melody gladly slipped out, picking up her mat from between her feet. The smell of residues sweat and rubber assaulted her nose as she stepped into the gym. She saw Rhodey supporting himself on parallel walking bar, doing careful, easy steps. She knew that he could walk on the bionic legs but she assumed that he needed practice to be able to hold himself much longer then a few minutes at a time. She remembered how exhausted and sweaty he was when he and Pepper arrived this morning. It seemed to be particularly taxing for him to stand for long. ' hey Rhodey' She greeted with a small wave, padding over to the man. Rhodey took a second to rest and let his arms support him on the beams to greet her.

' hey, is this a coincidence or a certain little birdy tell you i was gonna do my physiotherapy and needed assistance?- which I don't' Rhodey said firmly, a stubborn light in his eyes.

' Guilty as charged Colonel' Friday admitted, in a sorry not sorry tone. That brought a smile to Melody's face.

' Alright, I won't assist you, but I gotta keep an eye on you just in case, Tony's orders. ' Melody said, lifting her hands in surrender, the water bottle swinging back and forth with her gesture. Rhodey seemed to mull it over silently and finally nodded.

' Alright, alright, only supervising' He warned, pointing a warning finger at her and she nodded in agreement.

' Only supervising ' She promised before choosing a spot to lay down her yoga mat. She spread it out and stomped on it to make sure it laid flat, the mat having taken a bad form from being curled up for too long, the extremities having the tendencies to curl inwards. She put the water bottle beside the mat before starting her stretching exercises. They fell into an easy silence, their quiet environment only disturbed by Rhodey occasional grunts of exertion. Even thought he didn't allow her to help, she made sure he had his water bottle and towel close if he ever needed them.

' how did it happen?' ' Melody asked, as she took the position of the cobra on her yoga mat, finally gaining the courage to breach the subject. Rhodey paused and gave a small sigh, leaning his elbows on the beams to take a breather. The petite woman paused her position to hold out the water bottle helpfully. He grasped it, his leaning most of his weight onto one arm and chugged half of the bottle before handing it back. The dark skinned man wiped at his brow before speaking.

' I was about to go after the Quinjet and Tony told Vision to stop them and I got caught in the crossfire, Vision beam of energy hit the reactor of the suit...' he trailed off, letting her catch on onto the rest of the story.

Melody covered her mouth with a hand in horror.  
' It was a nasty drop but at least I'm alive' He smiled bittersweetly. He was alive but he had lost the mobility of both of his legs. That was the prize to pay to remain alive. '  
Melody refrained from looking at him in pity, she knew that he didn't want her pity.

After an hour of physio, which left the man in a messy, sweaty pile, they decided to grab a bite to eat in the communal kitchen.

' How is the Extremis going?' Rhodey asked conversationally, easing himself onto a stool with a relieved sigh, cracking his back with a grunt. Melody poured him a tall glass of water and handed it to him. He downed it whole in only a few seconds, putting it back onto the counter with a relieved sigh.

' I'm still getting used to it' She admitted with a one shoulder shrug as she opened the fridge to assess what they could eat. The fridge had been stocked full so there was plenty of options. Even though it's been two years since she had the Extremis, there were still certain things she needed to get used, like her super strength. She had stopped counting how many times she broke stuff because she grasped it too hard. She also had stuff she had to watch out for, like her getting too angry, which often resulted in her body raising in temperature and effectively burning her clothes or burning whatever she had in her hands at the moment. Although keeping it under control was relatively easy, she meditated to keep her calm, she exercised to keep her body fit, the Extremis acting as a booster and allowed to gain muscle mass quite easily if she got her mind to it.

' That's good to hear' Rhodey said smiling, looking somehow relieved. He was probably afraid that we would blow us on them. She was scared too but she tried to think about it as less as possible. She knew Tony would be working on the stabilizing agent soon or complete it if he already started the process of actually making the stabilizing agent.

'how about some chicken sandwich with a nice fruit salad?' Melody asked, finally making up her mind, pulling the Tupperware full of leftover chicken out of the fridge along with mayo, grapes, some pineapple,apples and peaches. She would keep the strawberries out of it if Pepper wanted some later.

' You just said the magic words' Rhodey gave an easy grin, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. She pulled out a cutting board from one of the cabinets and a sharp knife and gave them to Rhodey along with the fruits. She actually climbed onto the counter to reach the large glass bowl that someone had inconveniently place on the top shelf.

' I know why Tony freaks out every time you climb stuff, that just damn dangerous what your doing right there' Rhodey said in a fatherly tone, pointing to her standing on the counter like a goat with his knife, pausing in his peeling of the apples.

' I didn't believe him when he said you climbed all over stuff but now i do'

' Joys of being tiny' offered Melody with a sarcastic smile. Yes joys. Their sandwiches were wolfed down and washed down with some soda, Coke for her and Root Beer for Rhodey. Rhodey had moved to the couch, resting his tired old bones as he said, still cradling his can of root beer. She was in the process of bringing the dishes to the sink when someone phased through the wall of the kitchen and came to stand next to her. She jumped in fright, one of the dishes crashing loudly against the wall and the other... embedded itself the ceiling.

Rhodey immediately jumped awake, holding out his root beer as he would a gun defensively, the soldier in him rearing it's head at any sight of danger. He felt his muscles relax when he saw that it only Vision, who was standing in from of a particularly ruffled Doddy. The seemingly ethereal being's eyes widened a fraction.

'oh dear... my apologies, I believe I should've of used the door...' The red skinned man observed, frowning at the plate that was made a clean cut into the drywall of the ceiling. Melody looked at both smashed plates with a wince then looked at the man.

' I apologize for frightening you Miss, I am Vision' He introduced and Melody shook his hand. Ahh yes Vision, the android that had been created into Doctor Cho's cradle and that was somehow inhabited by Jarvis. She found herself missing the AI terribly.

' I'm Melody Stallone, nice to finally meet you Vision' Melody said with a genuine smile before moving to pick up the pieces of porcelain scattered across the counter top but felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. ' please allow me, it is my fault that this incident happened, please let me make amends' The android insisted before floating up to pry the plate from the ceiling.

Vision joined them when they settled down in the communal area to watch stupid tv shows together. The android sometimes interrupting to ask questions. Melody gave him truthful answers and even taught him what a 'Bae' was.

'what a strange word' Vision had answered with a look of genuine wonderment. Melody felt like pinching his cheeks at how cute he was.  
'What happened to the word girlfriend?' Rhodey had said in disbelief, catching wind of their conversation ' I swear , you kids come up with weird words, it's like guys calling each other brah instead of bro or brother' Rhodey seemed downright outraged. Melody had bursted out laughing while Vision merely smiled in amusement.

It was only when Melody had settled into her and Tony's bed with her Starkpad that Tony finally came back. He came into the room, clearly dragging his feet, the sound making Melody look up from her Starkpad. He lookesd dead on his feet, the bags under his eyes far more prominent than they had been in the morning.

'how did it go?' She only got a sound that was a mix between a beached whale and a dying seagull as her answer. She frowned in sympathy, not affected by the sound at all. Shit, she used the pterodactyl sound on a daily basis so Tony could make all the noise he wanted.  
' sucked that much uh?' she said,smiling in compassion.

'you..have no idea' he said, taking a pause mid sentence to take off his tie, all but chucked it across the room, well he tried, the tie ended up plopping onto the ground pathetically. Tony sat on the edge of the bed to take off his shoes.  
' some righteous assholes, all of them' He grunted, propping his foot on his knee to untie his shoelaces. ' Their all siding with Ross, making the whole damn thing far more complicated then it already is' She crawled over on all fours, hearing the frustration in his tone. He plopped down onto his back on the bed with a sigh.

Melody peered down at him as she came face to face with him . She knelt near his head , her hands immediately finding his hair as he settled his weary head onto her lap.  
'I'm getting too old for this type of shit' he sighed , running his hands down his face, stretching his face in a weird grimace.

'You'll found a way to convince them I know you will' She said, trying to sound positive but it was hard. This situation was far more serious than anything.

' It's not that easy Doddy, I wish it was but it's not, it's not some boring board meeting where I fuck with the boards members for shit and giggles, no, the freedom of my friends all depend on these new accords, I can't afford to fuck anything up this time' The' if their still my friends' went unsaid, but both were thinking it.

Melody bit her lip, watching Tony as he began to undress. Would she dare to speak about the book she found or would she just put it on the back burner for now. Something told her that book was important.  
' Tony?' She called softly as Tony disappeared into the bathroom. He peeked his head back out when she called his name, offering a tired smile.  
' Yes sweetie' He said, slipping off his blouse, exposing the expense of his torso, her eyes looking briefly at the knot of scars in the middle of his chest, where the arc reactor used to be. She blinked and cleared her throat.

' I would like to speak to you about something' She murmured softly, playing with her fingers. Tony frowned, a look of worry fleeting over his face. He probably assumed the worse. ' The we need to talk' thing never ended well for anyone. Melody bit her lip and reached inside her nightstand, where she had stashed the book for the time being. She held it up and saw Tony's face change and twist into an ugly grimace.

' Where did you get that?' He asked, suddenly sounding agitated, moving in quick strides to stand beside the bed.  
' I-I found it under the couch, in the living room when I did some cleaning this morning, i tried to read it but it's all in Russian' She said uneasily, feeling like a child that had been caught doing something back. She shrinked back against the headboard, biting her lip, the book tightly clutched in her hand.

' well you shouldn't read it, it's fucking awful, give it to me' Tony asked, trusting a hand towards her, the tension in his voice clear.  
' Why? can't you tell me what's in there, you did read it or had Friday translate everything haven't you? Melody asked , growing agitated herself. His hands became fists, tension rolling off his body in waves as he ran his hands into his hair, starting to pace in front of the bed.

' I can't tell you, it's just too awful, this was actually one of the reasons why i nearly drank myself into a stupor last night, to forget how stupid i've been' Tony said, his arms waving in an agitated manner, face still pulled into a grimace. Melody frowned, looking down at the book in her lap, how come this book could've of caused such mayhem?

' Tony please, you can't always keep me in the dark to keep me safe, you have to tell me things, please?' Melody pleaded as Tony finally stopped pacing for a second to look at her. He bit his plush bottom lip and seemed to be mulling it over, his hands anchored on his hips. He sighed in defeat, looking at her with a tired look, making him look far older than he actually was.  
' Alright, lemme go take my shower and we'll look at it together okay?' He said weakly, reaching to undo his belt, pulling the belt out of the belt loops with a firm wank, making his way back to the bathroom.

'o-okay' She responded, nodding, frowning deeply as she watched Tony wander back into the bathroom, his shoulders lowered in defeat. In bit her lip, wondering if it was the right thing to make him tell her the content of the book. Maybe it made him upset or sad? And there she was trying to pry answer outta him like the nosy little girl she was. She must of worked herself into an anxious frenzy because she never heard Tony wander back over and touch her shoulder. She blinked up at him dazedly, leaning into the smooth touch of his palm as he cupped her cheek.

'hey babe' His voice filtered over the white noise in her ears' no need to work yourself up like that, calm down, you are perfectly right, I can't keep you in the dark all the time, it puts you in more danger then if I actually tell you whats going on' He reassured, rubbing her cheek with the pad of his calloused fingers.

She took a deep breath in and let it out in a whoosh and let herself be gathered into his arms like she was his personally teddy bear. He pulled her close, pressing her into his side, his arms around her shoulders and her head on his chest. He took her Stark-pad and rested it against his stomach.

' Friday, bring up the Winter Soldier's file' Tony said, sounding so utterly tired that it made Melody feel worse. Numerous files appeared on the interface of the Stark-pad and Tony pressed one of them, spreading out his hand so it floated above them. Friday started a long winded explanation of the Winter Soldier or James Buchanan Barnes. She saw his early days back in the 40s , a handsome, smiling gentleman, standing proudly by Steve's side. She watched in growing horror as the man became a shadow of himself, became the Winter Soldier.

Video files, documents, pictures of the soldier. Tortured, brainwashed, used like a simple puppet as Hydra held the strings. She thought that all of this was horrible but she had to swallow down the bile that clawed at her throat when Friday showed the content of the red manual. It was all in all, some type of guidebook for the Winter Soldier. A fucking _guidebook_ , as if the Winter Soldier, Bucky, was merely a machine to operate. She felt righteous anger claw at the pit of her stomach, her hand tightening their hold on Tony's free hand.

The guidebook showed how to take care of Asset , the Winter Soldier. How to punish him when he refused to comply or failed a mission. How to trigger him when they wanted his full attention for a mission. Ten words would have to be said in order to get the Soldier's full compliance. Tony stayed quiet for the entirety of the time. He finally met her eye, his eyes glassy. She didn't know how to react to this , she wanted to cry as well as she wanted to just go out and go on a Hydra rampage , to simply wipe them off the face of the earth.

' babe, babe, its hot , its _hot_ ' Tony warned, trying to pry his hand form hers as her skin heated up to a scorching level. She snapped out of her daze and immediately lowered her temperature, worriedly looking over Tony's hand to make sure she didn't burn him before kissing his fingertips in apology.

' sorry babe, I just... this is so...' She trailed off, suddenly speechless.

' Fucked up? I know, took me a lot to not just go out and fuck Hydra's shit up' Tony said, hostility weighting heavy on his tone. ' sign me the fuck up' Melody commented, leaning her head heavily onto her boyfriend's chest, feeling drained all of the sudden, like all the happiness, all of the emotions she felt had been sucked right out of her,leaving her feeling boneless and exhausted.


End file.
